Shoe-protecting device.



P. H. FARLEY.

SHOE PROTECTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31. 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

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PHILIP H. EABLEY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

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- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 191%.

Application filed October 81, 1917. Serial No. 199,568.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP H. FARLEY,

of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and.

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Protecting Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference characters marked thereon.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a practical device that can be conveniently used for the temporary protection of the upper portions of ladies shoes, particularly against the soiling and abuse they receive in automobile travel.

In a more specific aspect, the invention is designed to afford an extremely compact, small structure, of light weight, which is cool when worn, and can be carried in the pocket and slipped on and off a shoe in a moment.

A further purpose of the invention is to make a structure which, within certain tations, will fit shoes of various sizes and shapes, so that it is ossible to take care of all sizes of ladies s oes with two or three standard sizes of the protecting device.

An additional object of my improvement is to provide a novel method of constructing.

and assembling the parts, so as to eliminate the necessity of a lasting or shaping operaation and reduce the manufacturing cost to 35 a mimmum figure, placing the device within reach of every automobilist on a basis that makes it economical to thus protect the fine leather of ladies shoes. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of arts, all as will be hereinafter more fully escribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my Fig. 2 is a perspective view;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the upper blank.

Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Ladies fine shoes and slippers are greatly soiled and damaged from traveling, even short distances in vehicles such as automobiles, owin to the usual amount of grease and dirt whic quickly accumulates, and the invention in a motor vehicle, which has a tendency to bring the toe portion of the upper into 'contact with the dash board and sides of the vehicle body. To overcome this, I have con- 'structed the present device which can be slipped. on a 'shoe in a moment and adequately protects the forward or toe portion of the shoe upper, while at the same time-it is of such a light construction as not to discommode the wearer, or to increase the heat of the foot appreciably.

The device comprises a bottom or sole portion 1, of one thickness, which is of less extent than the sole of the shoe, so as to extend over only the forward part thereof. Attached to the bottom portion 1 is the upper 2 which is preferably shorter at its central part than the bottom portion, and extends over only the forward or toe portion of'the shoe upper. The upper 2 is made from a thin, light skin, or other suitable light weight material with sufficient strength and flexibilit for the purpose contemplated.

The device is held in place by an elastic band 3, the ends of which are attached to the under side of the upper 2 at its rear edge,

while the band can be readily slipped over the heel portion of a shoe and holds the protector 1n position. The upper is attached to the bottom portion in such a manner as to obviate any lasting or shapingit, while at the same time rovidin for adequately fitting shoes of different sizes in an efiicient and comfortable manner and I will now describe the method by which this is accomplished.

The upper blank, which isshown in Fig. 4, is-- curved at its former end to conform generally to the shape of the bottom or sole portion, although it is somewhat wider at such forward portion, and is provided with a series of V-shaped notches 4, preferably three in number. The adjacent edges 4 of these notches are then su erimposed upon each other with the outsi e sur aces of the leather or other material of which the up-' per is formed engaging each other, and are thus stitched toget er. This operation reduce the width of the toe portion of the upper until it is ap roximately the size of the toe portion of t e bottom or sole, and

also provides three seams with the free edges disposed interiorly of the upper. These seams cause the upper to stand up at the toe portion, forming a vertical wall as shown at customary low position of a person sitting 4", and giving an enlarged interior space of sufiicient extent and of a proper shape to readily incase various sizes and shapes of shoe toes. The lining 5, which is cemented or otherwise secured to the inner surface of the upper 2, is cut away at its forward end on the line-,6, leaving the interior seams on the upper free and exposed. The lining serves to stiffen and support the rear part of the upper 2, holding it properly shaped, and ermits the seamed portion at the forwar end to maintain the desired vertical relation with the remaining part. 7 designates a lining or covering extending over the-bottom or sole portion and cemented or otherwise secured thereto.

The upper, with the lining attached, is then superimposed on and stitched to the bottom or sole portion 1, the stitches extending through the respective edge portions which overlie each other and extend in the same direction. This method of stitching, as well as the seamed portion at the front, make it possible to construct the device without any lastin or shaping operation,the interior form eing such as to fit evenly, over the toe portion of a shoe of a generally similar style or shape, even though the shoe .be smaller or somewhat differently shaped from the protecting device.

The structure can be manufactured at a relatively low cost, and constitutes an exoeedingl practical device for the purpose intended while at the same time possessing an extremely neat and pleasing appearance.

I claim as my invention:

1. A shoe protecting device comprising a bottom portion of lessfllength than the sole of a shoe and adapted to extend over only the forward part ofthe sole, and an upper adapted to extend over only the toe portlon of t e sh'oe upper and having its outer edge superposed on and extending in the same menses direction as the edge of the bottom per tion to which it is stitched along their adjacent edges, said up er portion having a series of seams at t e toe extending up wardly from the bottom portion and formed by adjacent inwardly projecting edge portions of the up er which are stitched to gether along san edge portions.

shoe protecting device comprising a bottom portion of less length. than the sole of a shoe and adapted to extend over only the forward art of the sole, an upper adapted to exten over only the toe portion of the shoe upper and having its outer edge superposed on and extending in the same direction as the edge of the bottom portion to which it is stitched along their adjacent edges, said upper portion having a series of seams at the toe extending upwardly from the bottom portion and formed by adjacent inwardly projecting edge portions of the upper which are stitched together along said edge portions, and a lining which is sub stantially coextensive with the upper except at the toe portion where it is cut away around said seams.

3. The method of making a shoe protecting device which consists in cutting a series of V-shaped notches at the edge of the toe portion of an upper blank and superposing the outside surfaces adjacent to each notch upon each other and stitching them together, thereby forming a series of seams on the inside of the-upper, securing to the inside of the upper a lining which is cutaway at theforward portion of the upper to expose the'seamed portion, and stitching the upper and lining to a bottom portion with the edges superposed on and extending in the same direction as the edges of the bottom portion.

PHILIP H. FARLEY. 

